Force

by Becca Jameson

  Gill lifted both brows and stared down at her. “For what? Seems to me he’s a good guy to have around. If he caught that drunk bothering you and took it upon himself to clear out the trash, perhaps I should hire him.” Gill gave a wry grin. She hadn’t seen him smile like that yet. The wrinkles around his eyes flared out endearingly.

  Yep. He was a good guy.

  She didn’t know why she was shocked. After all, it would piss her off if her boss didn’t defend her when a patron got too frisky. Why had she been so concerned? She was a good waitress. She’d proven her value tonight. She had several hundred dollars in tips in her pocket to show for it. And she wasn’t about to take shit from strangers with roaming hands. Gill shouldn’t allow anything of the sort either.

  Dmitry returned in a flash. He grabbed Lauren’s chin and lifted it to meet her gaze. “You okay?”

  She nodded.

  Gill cleared his throat. “Nice work, man. You looking for a job?”

  “Nope. Got a job.” Dmitry stared at her with narrowed eyes as if he didn’t believe she was truly all right. “Let’s get out of here.”

  She shook herself free of Dmitry’s grip on her chin. “I need to finish. You go on. I’ll see you in a while.”

  In a heartbeat Dmitry’s demeanor changed from seriously concerned bad boy to mirth. He chuckled. “Sure. Right. I’ll go on home and wait for you while you get pawed by more jackasses and then walk the city streets alone in the middle of the night. Are you mad, woman?”

  She bit her lower lip until it hurt. “Dmitry, I’m at work. Can we talk about this later?”

  Gill spoke again. “You sure you don’t need a job? I could use a man like you at the door.” He pointed at the cut over Dmitry’s eye. “Please tell me the other guy is in worse condition than you.”

  Lauren stared at Dmitry.

  Dmitry finally turned his gaze toward Gill. He ignored the question. “Lauren won’t be back.”

  Lauren grabbed his arm and squeezed. “Dmitry, stop it. I’m my own person. I’ll make my own decisions. Back off. Go home. We’ll talk about this later in private.” She kept her voice low. Her face flamed with heat.

  “Nothing to talk about. There’s no way in hell you’re working here another night. It’s not safe. No sense waiting another minute to let your boss know this is it for you. Let’s go.” He set his hand possessively on her lower back and gave a nudge. “Where’re your things?”

  She stood firm. “Stop it.” She gritted her teeth. “If you won’t leave, at least go stand by the door while I finish.” She leaned closer, trying not to be daunted by his gruff demeanor. “You’re embarrassing me.”

  “How about we discuss this in my office?” Gill asked.

  “Good idea.” Dmitry didn’t remove his arm from her back, but changed his direction toward the back of the bar instead of the door. “Lead the way.”

  Gill turned around and wove between the noisy patrons finishing their last drinks.

  Lauren was seething as she followed, her skin searing where Dmitry’s fingers grazed the space between the bottom of her shirt and the top of her skirt.

  She followed Gill down the hall and through the door to his office.

  The second he shut out the noise of the bar, he spoke, his gaze landing on Dmitry. “She’s an amazing waitress. I’d hate to lose her.”

  “She’s not available. We had a misunderstanding. Apparently.” Dmitry faced her and continued. “You can’t work here. You know that. What do I have to do to convince you this is a bad idea?”

  She stepped to one side to get away from his hand at her back. “Dmitry, I swear to God, if you have an ounce of respect for me, you’ll let me handle this and shut up.”

  He snarled. “Handle it? Like how you handled it tonight? That guy had you plastered to his cock in two seconds, your tits smashed against his chest. How is that handling it?”

  Gill spoke again. “I promise you that is unusual behavior in my bar. I don’t allow my staff to be harassed. I looked away for a minute and missed the interaction. It won’t happen again.”

  “Nope. It sure won’t because Lauren won’t be here.”

  Lauren put her hands on her hips. “Back the fuck off, Dmitry. You don’t own me. If I want to work in this bar, I will. I may have been complacent in your care for the last several months, but that’s not my usual behavior. I won’t be bullied by you or anyone else. You aren’t earning any brownie points by acting like a caveman.”

  He stared at her hard. “So your plan is to cut loose and wander the city until you get found and caught and killed—or worse?”

  Gill gasped. “Why on earth would someone want to hurt her? I get the feeling we’re discussing much more than a guy touching Lauren in my bar.”

  “Because we are.” Dmitry kept his gaze on Lauren again as he spoke. “If you want to be pigheaded and air your dirty laundry to your new boss, fine.” He turned toward Gill. “Lauren’s wanted by the Russian mob. If they catch her, they won’t hesitate to exact revenge as they see fit. She. Is. Not. Free. To. Work. In. Your. Bar.”

  Gill gasped. “Lauren?”

  She pursed her lips. “Really? You want to do this here?”

  Dmitry shrugged. “Your choice. You’re the one who’s acting reckless. Not me.”

  She cocked a hip out. “It’s a big city, Dmitry. It’s been months. I seriously doubt the fucking Russian mafia from Vegas is still searching for me all over the country.”

  “And you’d be wrong. Yenin both can and will hunt you down any time he wants. I wouldn’t doubt if he had someone in the bar tonight eyeballing you. This is too dangerous, Lauren.”

  She froze. “Are you kidding?” A chill raced down her spine.

  Dmitry shook his head. “Would I joke about something this serious?”

  “Maybe working in my bar is the perfect cover then,” Gill suggested.

  Lauren was surprised he would want to take on that level of responsibility. She knew she was a good waitress, but she was surprised her boss would so adamantly stick up for her after one night. “Exactly,” she concurred. “I’m not quitting, Dmitry. You can’t watch me twenty-four seven. If you won’t give me some space and let me make my own choices, I’ll move out now. I’ll find a place to stay while I get on my feet.”

  “Like fuck you will.” Dmitry’s voice rose. He stared at her. “You are one stubborn woman.”

  “I’ve heard worse.”

  He looked toward Gill again. “You say you need a bouncer?”

  Gill nodded. “Absolutely. A guy your size is a deterrent without exerting an ounce of energy. If I’m reading you correctly, I assume you’re suggesting I can keep Lauren if I put you on the same shifts. I’m on board with that.”

  Dmitry hesitated. “I’m not available most Friday nights.”

  Gill nodded. “Fine. I can work with that.”

  “I’ll have to let my current boss know,” he grumbled. She knew he didn’t have time to add this on to his schedule. He was busy around the clock as it was. How was he going to work at Inked also?

  Gill stepped around to the back of his desk and reached for a piece of paper. “Fill this out as a formality. You’re hired.” He handed the employment form to Dmitry, who took it and leaned over the desk to grab a pen and fill in the blanks.

  “This is ridiculous. Dmitry, stop. You can’t guard me day and night.”

  “Wanna bet?” He didn’t look up.

  She stiffened. She wasn’t going to win this argument. And she feared there would be many more to come in the near future. Her face flamed with heat as she watched Dmitry’s arms flex and bulge as he wrote. His back was to her, his tight black T-shirt stretching over the muscles.

  He ignored her as he lifted his gaze to Gill. “I’ll need to work out most mornings. I can’t be here very early.”

  “That’s okay. I need you at night. The days are usually quiet. The crazies don’t come out until after dark. Can you start tomorrow?”

  “Sure. But I’ll warn you—fi
rst sign of trouble for Lauren and we won’t be back.” He handed the paper to Gill.

  “I understand.”

  “Is she done here for tonight?”

  “Yes. Go ahead. There are plenty of closers. We can manage without her.”

  Lauren fisted her hands at her sides. She might have slammed a fist into Dmitry if she hadn’t been savvy enough to realize it would hurt like fuck.

  Gill stepped back around the desk and reached out a hand toward Dmitry. “See you tomorrow, then. Lauren, don’t forget your bags.” He nodded at her stash in the corner, and then he opened the office door and stepped out. “I need to get back out front and start clearing out the stragglers. Take your time.” And then he was gone, leaving the door open.

  Lauren couldn’t breathe she was so angry. She stomped to the corner, grabbed the stash of plastic shopping bags by their handles, and marched from the room. She could feel Dmitry on her heels, but she didn’t turn around.

  It wasn’t until she stepped outside into the cool night air that Dmitry reached for her arm, trailed his fingers down to her hand, and took her purchases gently from her grasp.

  She let him carry her stuff. Fine. He could have that round. But she was determined to let him have it when they got back to the apartment. This couldn’t go on. If he didn’t let up and give her space, she would suffocate.

  She glanced to the side at him. “Are you going to quit your day job?”

  “Yep.”

  “Won’t that burn bridges in the construction business?”

  “Yep.”

  She slumped her shoulders. “Dmitry. Don’t do this. I’m not asking you to. You already have a full schedule. Hell, most days you leave the apartment before dawn.”

  “That’s the only time I had to work out and still get to the construction site on time. Now I don’t have to leave the apartment so early. I’ll work out later, and we’ll head to the bar in the afternoon.” He turned to meet her gaze, his face marginally softer. “Works out better this way. Now I’ll know where you are at all times. Especially if you insist on being a flight risk.” His words were clipped. He was pissed.

  Chapter Seven

  Dmitry gripped the shopping bags so hard his hands hurt. It was the only thing keeping him from turning toward Lauren and screaming at her in the middle of the sidewalk. What the hell was she thinking?

  Fuck. What the hell was he thinking?

  If he walked away from his current construction job without giving notice, he would be blacklisted in the entire area.

  Shit.

  He needed the money. Mikhail needed the money. They were barely scraping by as it was between rent, utilities, food, and paying Abram back for getting Alena into the country. Thank God Gromov was such an easygoing, all-round good guy because otherwise Dmitry and Mikhail would have found themselves in a bind several times by now. They often came up short on what they had agreed to pay Abram monthly. At the rate they were going, they would be a hundred years old before that debt was paid.

  Every time Dmitry or Mikhail had to go to Abram and plead their case, Dmitry held his breath. He knew Gromov was one of the good guys, but he wasn’t sure how long or how far that extreme hospitality would stretch. Every month he feared Abram would snap and go ballistic over the money they owed.

  It was a constant stress. Dmitry hated owing anyone money—especially not the local Russian big guy.

  And now Lauren was forcing his hand and causing him to lose a job he could ill-afford to go without. He hoped to God Gill paid him well at the bar, or Mikhail was going to have a conniption for Dmitry’s obvious inability to control his woman. And rightfully so.

  Steamrolled again. But shit, it was either this or lose her altogether. And he wasn’t ready for that, not after taking her sweet body last night. Now he was in even deeper. Logically, she was better off on her own. If he cut ties with her, she might make it. If Yenin’s men found him with her, they were both dead. But he couldn’t take the risk that he might be wrong and separate from her. What he wanted was to protect her any way he could. He knew the Feds couldn’t do a better job. And she was just impulsive enough to get herself caught by the Russians if she was alone.

  Dmitry knew his pace was too fast for Lauren. His legs were longer. His stride sure and confident while she nearly jogged along beside him in those damn heels that made her legs even longer and sexier than they already were.

  All he could think about was getting her alone so he could both protect her and fuck her.

  He knew she was angry with him. She was a hellion on wheels tonight. And damned if that didn’t make her even sexier. As he’d watched her throughout the last few hours, he’d sported a hard-on to rival all other hard-ons. She was smoldering in her short skirt and tight tank. The way she swayed her hips made him lick his lips and fist his hands at his sides so many times he couldn’t count them.

  And now the imp was pissed to hell, and he’d never wanted to fuck her more.

  If he could just get her to see reason.

  Now that he’d slept with her… Oh, who was he kidding? He was totally in love with her. And last night’s introduction to her body had little effect on that. He’d been in love with her for months. And that made it so much harder to let her go.

  He searched his mind for a plan that would keep her safe. As much as he loathed the idea of separating from her, maybe if he sent her away somewhere, he could go back to Yenin alone and ensure no one was looking for her. But where was safe? Some island on the other side of the globe?

  He blew out a breath as he came up with no viable option. For now, all he could do was watch his surroundings sharply at all times and pray for a miracle.

  He and Mikhail paid close attention to their comings and goings from the apartment every time they were out so they couldn’t be traced to any specific dwelling. Some days that was a royal pain in the ass. But so far, Dmitry had never believed he’d been followed.

  More than likely¸ Yenin had people keeping distant tabs so they could spring into action at a moment’s notice—as soon as he was released.

  Abram suggested Yenin would only serve about six months of his sentence from the get-go. And they had been on the run for six months. Letting Lauren leave the apartment right now was insane. And yet, how was he supposed to stop her?

  He wanted to punch something. He had more problems than he could list on one piece of paper, and he was seriously entertaining the idea of letting Lauren leave the apartment to work in a local bar?

  Jesus. The woman had him wrapped around her finger.

  The problem was he couldn’t stand the idea of being separated from her. And in all honesty, as dangerous as it was for them to be caught together, he didn’t trust her safety to anyone else—including her. Every time he considered the idea it came back to that. If he sent her somewhere else on her own, he would worry about her every second of the day.

  He was living on borrowed time, and his selfish side wanted to squeeze a few more days with her before he had to give her up for good.

  He prayed he could do so before he got caught with her and someone took them both down.

  He and Mikhail had discussed what they would say and do when and if they were found. At no point had they considered the girls being located, however. In fact, Mikhail had left a lengthy sealed letter with Alena months ago, telling her to open it only in the event neither Mikhail nor Dmitry returned to the apartment one day.

  Dmitry had known the feisty Lauren would have torn into the letter immediately. That was why only Alena knew about it. It gave detailed instructions on how to reach Abram.

  The down side was the possibility that Abram would be the worst possible solution for the women in the event Dmitry and Mikhail disappeared from Chicago.

  Sure, the man was a godsend, and he’d been nothing but helpful, including bringing Alena into the country. But the reality was he had a firm hold on Dmitry and Mikhail—they made him a shit ton of money, and they also owed him a shit ton of money. If they skipped
town to return to Vegas or were forced to, Gromov might not be nearly as pleasant toward Alena and Lauren.

  There was no one else for them to go to, however.

  The more Dmitry thought about this as he stomped down the dark street with Lauren clipping along behind him, the angrier he got. Not so much with her as with himself. He was a dick. And he was in over his head.

  She said nothing as they walked too fast. She didn’t complain about the new heels she wore that probably hurt her feet after an entire evening on them and now keeping up with him on the way home.

  Stubborn. She surely had other flat shoes in one of the bags he carried—at least the ones she left the house in that morning—but she was too stubborn to ask him to let her change.

  How had he not realized this about her before? How had she managed to remain so willingly meek for so many months only to come out with her fists held high so fast he would have missed it if he blinked?

  Hell, he did miss it. She’d not only snuck out to get a job as a waitress, but she’d given him the slip from her bed this morning and left the house without his knowledge.

  It wouldn’t happen again tonight. That was for damn sure. He fought to hide his grin as he imagined the ways he would keep her from fleeing the apartment.

  In record time, he reached for the handle of their apartment lobby and tugged it open so hard the glass door almost slammed into the wall. He nodded for her to slip inside under his arm and then followed her steady steps toward the elevator. She kept her head high, her gaze on the metal doors, her lips pursed.

  He couldn’t decide whether to be amused, pissed, or fucking aroused. Though the latter was out of his control. He needed her like a drug.

  When they finally stepped into the elevator, he had to take shallow breaths to avoid inhaling her scent. Even after hours brushing against hundreds of people in a crowded bar, she still smelled like his Lauren. Her scent was intoxicating. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her and bury his face in her hair.

  She stepped out of the elevator first and headed down the hall toward the apartment.

  Dmitry jostled her bags into one hand, dug his keys out of his pocket, and unlocked the door. The inside was dark except for the faint light coming from the microwave, illuminating the kitchen with its blue glow. He headed straight for the bedroom, dropped her bags on the floor haphazardly, and kicked the door shut the second she came through behind him.